TRANSITION SKILLS
LESSON 9-18  ANALYZING EARNING POWER
LEARNING GOALS/OUTCOMES
► Conduct a cost benefit comparison of education versus earning power.
► Be able to explain the cost benefits of going beyond high school to achieve a certificate, diploma
► or degree .
MATERIALS NEEDED
► Student Handouts:
– Cost Benefit Comparison Worksheet
► Computer with internet access and projection capabilities to:
– Download and view (or print a copy for each student) the Washington Career Bridge
Booklet, “Where Are You Going” (PDF can be downloaded from wtb.wa.gov/CareerGuide)
– View College Costs in Washington site (http://www.collegecalc.org/colleges/washington/)
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. To begin, ask students what they have heard from family members, friends or in the news
about the necessity of getting a college degree. Probe a little bit further if needed to elicit the
myth high school graduates can still earn as much as college graduates. Make sure the concept
that college graduates are under or unemployed is part of the discussion. Share with students that
this lesson will give them an opportunity to test the hypothesis that college “is too expensive.”
2. Write the average cost of completing a degree (direct costs only) on the board as a
discussion starter or if you have time, allow students to research this information.
Certificate
On-the-job
Earned wage
Two-year
Technical
$9,000.00
Two-year
AA or AS
$9,000.00
Four-year
BA
$44,000.00
Graduate
MA
$28,000.00
CAREER GUIDANCE WASHINGTON ▲ WWW.K12.WA.US ▲ OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
Rev 09/2016
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The Career Guidance Washington Lessons by OSPI are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
9-18 ▲ ANALYZING EARNING POWER
3. Organize students into 16 teams (this may be partners) with each team representing one of the
Career Clusters. If the class has fewer students, you can complete the exercise by assigning
clusters to individual students or using fewer clusters.
4. Go over the Cost Benefit Comparison Worksheet with students, modeling how they will need
to do the math to test the hypothesis that higher education is too expensive. The example of a
minimum wage job is given as a starting point.
5. Give students time to complete the cost/benefit analysis for their career cluster. If you have
time, have the teams share with at least one other team.
6. Bring the entire class back together and ask students to share what they learned. Questions
you may want to ask them to address are:
– Where was the smallest cost/benefit?
– Where was the largest cost/benefit?
– What questions does this raise for students for students as they consider jobs,
occupations, careers and their education?
Be sure to include a discussion of alternative routes to jobs and careers such as the military.
7. To conclude, go back to the theories addressed in the opening. Ask students to consider what
they now know about the truth of these theories? How would they describe the cost/benefit of a
higher education?
STUDENT PRODUCTS
► Completed Cost Benefit Comparison Worksheet
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND OTHER INFORMATION
► FACILITATOR NOTES
Frequent stories in the news suggest that getting an education is too expensive and frequently
places young adults in a life-time of debt. This lesson helps students make their own decision
about whether or not this might be true of their college plans. The focus is on helping students
determine the cost/benefit ratio between higher education (several different levels) and immediate
and/or life-time earnings.
CAREER GUIDANCE WASHINGTON ▲ WWW.K12.WA.US ▲ OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
Rev 09/2016
Page 2
The Career Guidance Washington Lessons by OSPI are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
TRANSITION SKILLS
LESSON 9-18 STUDENT HANDOUT
COST BENEFIT COMPARISON WORKSHEET
This worksheet helps you compare what an advanced education beyond high school will cost with the potential
wages you will earn over a one-year, five-year and ten-year period. Your team needs to choose at least one job that
represents each educational level from your Career Cluster and do the math to allow you to compare the cost of
education beyond High School versus Wage Earnings.
Job
Level of
Education
Cost of degree
completion
Average
Annual Wage
for one year
Ex. Fast Food
Clerk
Class example:
Less than
high diploma
0
$20,210.00
Average
Annual Wage
for one year
minus cost of
education
$20,210.00
Average
Annual Wage
for five years
minus cost of
education
$101,050.00
Average
Annual Wage
for ten years
minus cost of
education
$201,200.00
High School
Diploma
On-the-Job
Training
Technical
degree
Associate’s
Degree
Bachelor’s
Degree
Advanced
Degree
Rev 09/2016
Page 1
The Career Guidance Washington Lessons by OSPI are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.